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Why are older inner-city buildings vacant? Implications for town centre regeneration
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
11
(1),
44-59
(2017)
Abstract
The historic precincts of suburban cities in New Zealand are characterised by partially occupied, vacant or abandoned buildings, which are located in key locations of the central business districts (CBDs). Increasing unoccupied spaces and low demand for older buildings are detrimental to the socio-economic growth of many provincial towns in New Zealand. The study discussed in this paper sought to: 1) investigate the proportion of totally/partially existing vacant older buildings within the town centre of suburb-#; 2) identify the underlying factors that contributed to emergence of the vacant buildings and the consequences of the prevalent vacancy rate on suburban town centres; and 3) recommend possible ways to increase the demand for these buildings. Using a mixed-methods approach for data collection, the research findings showed a vacancy rate of approximately 86 per cent (n = 47) of older heritage buildings located in the main high street of suburb-#. Additionally, several factors were identified to be responsible for the high vacancy rate of the older buildings: 1) building conditions; 2) social factors; 3) economic factors; and 4) building regulations. The research findings provided significant suggestions on how property redevelopment coupled with town centre regeneration can be used as a responsive strategy that can attend to the changing needs of owners, occupiers and visitors, as well as ensure compliance to commercial and regulatory demands of seismic strengthening of older heritage buildings.
Keywords: old buildings; vacancy; social; economic; town centre; urban shrinkage
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Itohan Esther Yakubu is a PhD student at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests are focused on urban sustainability, redevelopment of heritage buildings, seismic preparedness and decision making.
Temitope Egbelakin is a senior lecturer at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. She lectures in construction management, and has been engaged in active research in natural hazard and disaster emergency management, environmental sustainability and construction project management, sustainable and affordable housing, and behavioural and decision sciences.
Dmytro Dizhur is a lecturer at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He lectures in civil and environmental engineering. His main research interests are in seismic performance and retrofit of existing masonry buildings.
Jason Ingham is a professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He lectures in civil and environmental engineering. His research interests include sustainable concrete technology, seismic design and assessment of masonry buildings
Kenneth Sungho Park is a senior lecturer at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. He lectures in construction management. His research interests are focused on whole-life management, sustainable housing, process improvement, house refurbishment and construction project management.
Robyn Phipps is a Professor in construction and leader of the Built Environment cluster at Massey University, New Zealand. Robyn’s qualifications include a PhD, Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) and Bachelor of Building Science. Recent prizes and awards include the Women in Energy Award 2018, (finalist), the Helen Tippett Award (highly commended), National Association of Women in Construction (2017), Women of Influence 2017 Science and Technology (finalist), Fairfax Media and Westpac (2017 and 2016), NZIOB James Hardie Innovation Award 2016 highly commended for low-cost solar heating for schools, New Zealand Institute of Building (2016) and the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Science Team Prize (2014). Robyn has expertise in the design and management of healthy buildings, indoor air quality, heating and ventilation. She is a Director of the New Zealand Green Building Council as Research and Policy Industry Group Director and Director of the award winning He Kainga Oranga Healthy Housing Research Group.
